High up on the slopes of one of the tallest mountains in the world is a distinct forest that occurs nowhere else on earth and is home to spectacular native plants and animals, including the critically endangered palila. DLNR is working hard to maintain this jewel for future generations, and this website will share the story with you. Aloha mai nei!

Watch the Palila PSA

Not many people are familiar with what a Palila is and why they are worth saving. That’s because these rare birds live in remote and rugged terrain that few people ever visit. Watch this 30-second Public Service Announcement to learn all about them.

Endemic: Palila are a member of the Hawaiian honeycreeper family that exists only in Hawai‘i. Palila are the last of the 16 finch-billed honeycreepers left in the main Hawaiian Islands—all others are extinct.

Specialist: Palila depend on seeds, flowers, young leaves, and caterpillars from the native māmane tree for 90% of their diet. Māmane seeds are poisonous to other animals.

Endangered: Listed as endangered under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Palila Critical habitat was designated in 1978 to save the māmane forest on Mauna Kea.

Palila are only found on the southwestern slope of Mauna Kea between 6,000 – 10,000 feet elevation—an area less than 5% of their historical range. They used to live on Hualālai, Mauna Loa, and Mauna Kea.